Improved steering apparatus



N. PTERS, PHDTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON, D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.`

JULIUS FERDINAND ROOHOW, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVED STEERING APPARATUS.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JULIUs FERDINAND ROCHOW, of Brooklymin the county ofKings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved SteeringApparatus; iand I do hereby declare that the following is a full,

. clear, and exact description of the same, reference bein g had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in whichlFigure l represents a horizontal section of my invention. Fig. 2 is atransverse vertical section of the same.

Similar letters of reference in both views indicate corresponding parts.

This invention consists in the arrangement ot a differential gear on theshaft of a steering apparatus, in combination with the ster ringwheeland with the tiller or rudder, in such a manner that by said gear thetransmission ot' motion from the drum backward to the steering-wheel isrendered impossible, and consequently the sudden jerks of the rudderhave no influence on the wheel, and, furthermore, the power exerted bythe helmsman on the wheel can be multiplied at pleasure.

The invention consists, also, in the arrangement of one or more springsot' indiarubber or other suitable material in the interior of the drumof a steering apparatus, and in combination with the internal gear andwith the tiller or rudder, in such a manner that the strain on the ropeand other parts of the apparatus, caused by the sudden jerks of therudder, is intercepted by said spring or springs, and damage to thedifferent parts of the apparatus and to the rudder from that cause isprevented. l

The invention consists, nally, in the arrangement of two adjustablesprmg-blocks or spring-pulleys, in combination with the rope and drumot' a steering apparatus, in such a manner that by said spring-blocks aportion of the strain caused by the sudden jerks of the rudder isintercepted and the rudder is permitted to yield more or less to theforce of the waves without damage to any part of the apparatus.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe it with reference to the drawings.

A represents the drum on which the rope or chain winds, which governsthe position of the rudder. This drum may be made ot' castiron, wood, orany other suitable material,and it turns loosely on the shaft B, whichhas its bearings in standards B, and to which the steerin g-wheel O isfirmly attached. The drum A is hollow, and a cog-wheel, D, with aninternal gear, 0l, is rmly secured in its interior. This cog-wheel isprovided with a hub, df, which projects through the ,end of the drum,and which is iirmly keyed to one ot' the standards B', being bored outto iit to the shaft B and turned oft' on its outside to form a goodbearing for the drum, so that said drum is free to rotate while thecog-wheel D remains stationary.

D is an internal gear ora rim provided with 4teeth on its inside andturned oft' so that it fits nicely into the drum. It is prevented fromrotating independent 'of the drum by three (more or less) stops, @whichare secured to the inner surface of the said drum by screws f, and whichproject into a groove, y, turned into the rim D. This groove is providedwith three (more or less) abutments, g, and if the spaces between theabutments and stops c would be left empty the drum, impelled by Y thesudden jerks of the rudder, would ily in either direction, bringing thestops alternately in contact with the abutmeuts on either side; or it'the rim D would be rigidly attached to the drum the sudden motions ofthe rudder would cause an equally sudden j ar of the cogs, renderingthem liable to break or get out ot' order. To avoid these disadvantages,the spaces between the abutments and stops are filled out withindia-rubber or other elastic material, and `by these means the cogs ofthe gear-wheels are saved from injury.

E E are tumbling-shafts, which have their bearings in arms h.,projecting from hubs h', that are irmly keyed to the shaft B. Theseshafts carry pinions F F', the pinions F to gear into Vthe cog-wheel D,and the pinions F to gear into the cogwhee1D.

I have applied three tumbling-shafts to increase the strength of theapparatus, and I have described an internal gear which will givesatisfaction in practice, and which has been tried; but I want to bedistinctly understood that I do notwish to confine myself to thispeculiar gear, as the same may be varied and still produce the sameeffect.

G is the rope, which is fastened in the mid.

dle of its length to the surface of the drum, and the ends of which,after having been woun d several times around the drum, extend throughblocks H ,and are secured to the tiller I or to the chain which extendsto the rudder. The blocks H are firmly connected to spindles J, whichare exposed to the action of springs K, so that said blocks can yieldand accommodate themselves to the sudden motions of the rudder.

The springs K maybe made of india-rubber and inclosed in barrels L, andafollower, M, and nut N may be used to adjust the tension of saidsprings.

The effect of the internal gear of the drum A and the operation of thewhole apparatus `is as follows: If the cog-wheel D has thirty- Six andthe cog-wheel D/ fort-y cogs, and the two -pinions F F', which are ofequal diametereach twelve engs, and if the shaft B is nowA rotatednntilthe tumbling-shafts have made one complete revolution round the centerof the shaft B, the pinions F, by the action ot the cog-wheel l), willmake %=3 complete revolutions,.causing the pinions F to make the samenumberof revolutions or to progress thirty-six teeth vuntil thetumblingA shafts have returned to their original positions. The drum,therefore, is compelled to rotateforthe distance of 40-,36=4 teeth foreach revolution ofthe tumblingshafts, or to make one tenthfofarevolution for each revolution of the steeringwheel. It is obvious thatby decreasingor increasing the difference between the number of teeth ofthe two wheels D D the motion of .the drum for each revolution of theshaft B can` be decreased or increased at pleasure, and, in the samerat-io, the power exerted by the m an at the steering-wheel can beincreased or decreased as much as may be desired. A strain exerted onthe circumference of the drum will have no effect on the shaft B or onthe steering-Wheel, because the whole gear will be locked by thestationary wheel D. The steering-wheel, therefore, will not be affectedby the sudden jerks ofthe rudder, and one man will be able, with thegreatest ease, to work the wheel of the largest vessel; and,furthermore, by the action of the spring or springs in the interior ofthe `drum and by the spring-blocks H, the rudder is made yielding andallowed to give to the force of the waves, and injury to it or to theother parts of the apparatus is prevented.

stantially such as herein described, to operv ate, in combination withthe steering-wheel and tiller or rudder, in the manner and for thepurposes set forth.

2. The arrangement of a spring or springs in the interior of the drum,substantially as specified, in combination with the internal gear andwith the tiller or rudder, constructed and operating in the manner andfor the purposes as described.

. 3. The arrangementof the adjustable springblocks` H, in combinationwith the drum A, rope G, and tiller I, constructed and operatingl as andfor the purpose set forth.

' JULIUS FERDINAND ROCIIW. Witnesses M. S. IARTRIDGE, DANIEL ROBERTSON.

